Bishop answers abuse questions in two forums

Hundreds of catechists, pastoral leaders and other Catholics attend Spring Enrichment, held annually at The College of Saint Rose in Albany. Many of those at the meeting took part in two open forums during which the Bishop responded to inquiries and listened to comments. Spring Enrichment, May 13-16, is an educational opportunity sponsored by the diocesan Office of Evangelization and Catechesis.

Here are some of the topics addressed at the forums:

HISTORY OF ISSUE

Then came the recognition that abusers had a "severe sexual dysfunction that required psychotherapy." At that point, he said, dioceses relied heavily on the advice of psychotherapists and followed their instructions, but even the therapists still didn't have a full understanding of sexual abuse. The long-term effects on victims weren't recognized, so they received little attention.

"The third phase was a greater understanding of the life-long trauma inflicted on the victims," he said.

In explaining the Church's early response to the problem, the Bishop noted that "I'm not saying that it was right; I'm saying that was the way it was. I don't think abuse was ever condoned or dismissed as something unimportant, but the way it was handled was inappropriate."

HEART OF PROBLEM

The U.S. cardinals who attended last month's meeting on this issue at the Vatican "agreed on a 'one-strike-you're-out' policy" for future instances of abuse, he said, but they "were divided on what to do retrospectively" with a priest accused of abuse 30 years ago who has done nothing since then.

"My fear," the Bishop said, "is that the hysteria of the moment can lead us to overreact and ruin lives. We need to think this through and not act in hysteria."

MANDATED REPORTING

"I have cases coming to me 15, 20, 25 years after they occurred," he explained. "I'm going to have to re-victimize the victims when I turn [their reports] over to the DAs. I worry that victims, knowing that, won't come forward. That means I cannot offer them counseling, and I won't know there's an abuser out there."

The Bishop said that in his experience, most victims of clergy sexual abuse are coming forward about an incident that happened many years before -- and what they want is not criminal prosecution, but an apology and assurance that the priest will not be allowed to offend again.

"My feeling is that, as adults, they should have that right," he said.

CONSEQUENCES ON VICTIMS

OPENNESS

Instead, the Bishop recommended people contact the diocesan Consultation Center (phone 489-4431), a mental health center currently offering staff to deal with the crisis.

"Everybody wants to do the right thing, but they're not sure what the right thing is," he commented.

WHAT LAITY CAN DO

Remarking on the inclination of some Catholics not to donate to their parish or diocesan charities in protest of the situation, he added, "If people don't give, the people who will suffer are the needy. Don't take it out on them."

(This article was reported by James Breig, editor, and Kate Blain, assistant editor.)

(05-23-02) [[In-content Ad]]